as you already know, this is lisa lucas is not dominic last national book award we are so thankful toe look forward to her great success as a publisher of pentium and schocken's and many years of working with her in her new role. lisa does not know this yet but we have a gift for her, commissioned specially for this occasion. i am pleased to share with everyone and original painting by the fantastic artist and book lover jane has created a book that encompasses each created a work encompassing each and every book that won national book award during lisa's five years the painting will not be completed until after tonight or later this evening we learned of this year's winners and they too can be added. let me say a few more words about lisa. lisa, thank you, i will miss our whirlwind weekly calls, and your energy, your drive, you are belief in what we can make happen in the difference the books makes in the world. when i was thinking back this week about everything you accomplished and there was so much, i just kept going back to that day, you will remember this day, when you first tol

. >> now i would like to introduce my friend, the national book foundation executive director lisa lucaslisa a decade ago and a bookstore introduced by a mutual friend the late great book stephenson after shortly meeting one another she gave me a large list of books i was to read immediately after listening to anything she had to say ever since. >> thank you jason program so thankful to you for hosting tonight. here we are i'm coming to life from the los angeles public library in the gorgeous children's room. i'm so happy to be here around these books and what you. thank you for tuning in, our audience it's hard with the pandemic we were scared we cannot do the show but you are here watching and that matters. we are grateful to be able to celebrate all finals today and we welcome you to the 71st national book awards. very soon we will find out who will win so let's take a look at the green room and say hello to the finalist waiting for the announcement. translated literature award was recorded a few hours ago we are so grateful to celebrate our finalist tonight and even though we cannot

on course without you this word not have been possible thank you to the fellow nominees and to lisa lucasi want to thank my father for committing to this enormous work and for bringing me on as the copilot. my mother and my brothers walter and linda having one --dash and to my families for the love and support over 30 years. thank you. >> congratulations to the winners now back to our host, jason reynolds. >> congratulations. to you and to your father and your entire family. now last, but not least the national book award for fiction. >> in a year when we are all more isolated than ever before fiction reminds us we are not alone the national book award for fiction spores the working class and church lady in the climate crisis and action movie stars and families at home during the apocalypse arranging, yes but in the enormous humanity infinitely familiar they are a chance to question who we are and who could be the author of the feminist about women and hunger. >> it's a pleasure to be here tonight always certainly wish we were in the same room it has been an honor to serve on the fiction